[F] PlyMoth - a dull meet report.
Quantum Moth
PlyMoth meet was warm and, I think, it was a full moon. In fact, it was
afternoon when it began, so the moon wasn't up at that point, either.
Er. Never mind. Anyway, Kincaid was supposed to be the first to show,
but - after 40 minutes in a coffee shop - I decided that he was lost and
went to fetch Corinne from the station. At intervals of about an hour
from then we got Kincaid and Rachel and, finally Sandra.
The first evening was spent... well, first we geeked Star Trek[1] for a
bit. Then, while I made a lasagne only Kincaid was brave enough to
finish, Quake II was played by the others. In between stirring the
cheese sauce, I observed a tactic hithertobefore not seen on Quake - the
tactic of "Standing very still while the other player frags the hell out
of you". It worked very well. For the person doing the shooting.
Strange, the way people work. Anyway, at roughly the same time, we
opened a line to #afp; and I would like to personally apologise to
anyone who was there when we were. Especially ppint, who struggled
humanfully through with us bellowing about "dip" and "Now 5" while
trapped, alone, on a split channel. This carried on until we lost
interest and wandered off to bed. It was a slow night. What can I say?
We had fun.
Saturday was pretty slow to start, too. Eventually we acquired a Ben and
an Eric, so - with Sandra called to arms and a nice greasy-spoon
breakfast under (or just above) our belts - we set off to watch X-Men,
like the nicely trained geeks we are. The movie was deemed almost
unanimously "...alright" by the company, who seemed distinctly
underwhelmed. Yes, it's not that hot. It's okay, like, but it's not as
good as it should be. Hey, ho. Live, learn. Still, I got a rather nice
new cup thing out of the whole experience, which makes it not entirely a
useless thing.
On the way back to my house, we observed small metal fish implanted into
the pavement outside the aquarium and a swing bridge was seen in
operation. We're exciting people, aren't we? Yes, we are. No, we are.
We're dynamic and sexy. Ohhh. Leave me alone.
Special guest Pia - along with her chauffeur, some bloke called Mike
Queue or something - arrived not long after we got back to the house,
and, to be honest, was something of a shock. I have become accustomed to
not construct mental pictures of afpers, so as to avoid shocks, but,
well, Pia... you I did not expect :)
I can't actually remember what happened on Saturday night, for some
reason. I was very tired. Oh, yes. Star Wars Monopoly was played.
Strangely, there was a small fight over who got to be Artoo... Geeks,
huh? <sef> With eight people, gaining a set was practically impossible;
Rachel, playing as Chewbacca, became increasingly obsessive about how
many spaces she would have to travel before there was an available
property to buy "All the properties have been bought for fourteen spaces
ahead of me..". I quit early, handing my cash and properties over to
Corinne (natch), who went on to win by default (ie, she seemed to be
winning at the point everyone simultaneously went "Oh, sod this, shall
we get some food?"). The group then split, with Ben, Kincaid and Rachel
trooping out for Chinese takeaway while the rest of us ordered pizza
online (ooooh, aren't we sad?) - alas, what with us faffing about with
the website's order form, the order didn't go through (five minutes too
late for delivery! Bastards) so we had to phone for it anyway. D'oh.
Anyway, I remember a bright green sky, but have no idea what happened
next, as I ate half my pizza and fell asleep. Anyone...?
Sunday was yet another beautiful morning in the South West, and my flat
suddenly became the Marie Celeste - I went upstairs and there were no
afpers to be found. Took me a while - and a phone call to Sandra - to
work out that they were in the greasy spoon again, so we went and had
another artery-clogging experience[2]. We then studiously avoided the
Radio One roadshow on the Hoe and went across the water to Mount
Edgecumbe[3]. I'm sorry, I was in a mood at this point[4], and will
leave this bit to someone else. All I'm going to say is "Huge Inflatable
Coke Bottle".
And that's pretty much it, to be honest. Sorry to waste your time with
this report, as it was a very subdued kinda meet; very chilled and that,
but not much to read about. Anyone else who was there, please add to
this, but that's as far as I can go.
And, to reflect the low-key atmos of the meet, there is only quite a
small quote file
Rachel: I grunt regularly
Kincaid: Making this thing go up and down isn't as easy as it should be.
Corinne: I'm looking up - and I can't stop!
Sandra: Right, you're going to have to shove your finger down that
toad's throat, you know.
Corinne: Moomins in bondage...
Rachel: It's so he can do it without messing up his hair.
Moth: Want to see a monkey?
Eric: There's nothing so stupid a Canadian won't do it eventually.
Moth: Pull it, woman!
Rachel: It vibrates when you hit the walls - I like that.
Kincaid: I'm not 25 yet, that's not halfway to 30!
Pia: That was quick - it must have been all the lubricant.
[1] And, yes, we felt dirty doing it.
[2] A big feature of the meet; ask Pia about the cream teas..
[3] Which may be misspelt, but who's going to check?
[4] I was missing my love, what can I say? She was staying back with
Rachel, who wasn't feeling too good. *sigh* sorry.
--
thom willis - sc...@mostly.com - madly in love with Corinne!
Protecting the world from devastation since... uh, February.
Long and boring.
I do apologise
Eric Jarvis
>
> Saturday was pretty slow to start, too. Eventually we acquired a Ben and
> an Eric, so - with Sandra called to arms and a nice greasy-spoon
> breakfast under (or just above) our belts - we set off to watch X-Men,
> like the nicely trained geeks we are. The movie was deemed almost
> unanimously "...alright" by the company, who seemed distinctly
> underwhelmed. Yes, it's not that hot. It's okay, like, but it's not as
> good as it should be. Hey, ho. Live, learn. Still, I got a rather nice
> new cup thing out of the whole experience, which makes it not entirely a
> useless thing.
>
I think it is worth noting that with uncanny efficiency Kincaid, Corinne
and Moth managed to find me at the station before I had even worked out
where the phone boxes were...which is just as well since I'd not slept
the night before and could only find a seat in the screaming children
carriage [1]
for any fans of the X-Men comics I'd recommend the film simply for the
portrayal of Wolverine...so it's worth seeing even if you don't get a
nice new cup thing
>
> On the way back to my house, we observed small metal fish implanted into
> the pavement outside the aquarium and a swing bridge was seen in
> operation. We're exciting people, aren't we? Yes, we are. No, we are.
> We're dynamic and sexy. Ohhh. Leave me alone.
>
and boats...there were lots of boats
>
> I can't actually remember what happened on Saturday night, for some
> reason. I was very tired.
> snip
> Anyway, I remember a bright green sky, but have no idea what happened
> next, as I ate half my pizza and fell asleep. Anyone...?
>
some alcohol was consumed...biscuits met a grisly end..."The Onion" was
giggled over in book form...conversation was perpetrated in various
combinations...Kincaid proved his stamina and persistence in a fight
with his barely-inflatable mattress and every available flat surface was
covered with sleeping afpers
>
> Sunday was yet another beautiful morning in the South West, and my flat
> suddenly became the Marie Celeste - I went upstairs and there were no
> afpers to be found. Took me a while - and a phone call to Sandra - to
> work out that they were in the greasy spoon again, so we went and had
> another artery-clogging experience[2]. We then studiously avoided the
> Radio One roadshow on the Hoe and went across the water to Mount
> Edgecumbe[3]. I'm sorry, I was in a mood at this point[4], and will
> leave this bit to someone else. All I'm going to say is "Huge Inflatable
> Coke Bottle".
>
we got a ferry to Edgecumbe...which was good...since I have a great deal
of difficulty being surrounded by boats and not getting onto
one...Edgecumbe House/Country Park/whatsit is either a very beautiful
Manor house and gardens or a stronghold of the colonial occupying power
in Kernow [2] depending on your point of view...personally I think the
way the tree lined avenues end in large lawns to give a good field of
fire are a dead giveaway :)
I fell over when escaping the geyser and pia didn't get stuck up a
tree...and cream teas were consumed
we watched some more boats [3], this time doing some sort of treasure
hunt racing thingie...and we made it back to the ferry just in time for
rain
the remainder of the afternoon was mostly spent on goodbyes and
photographs
>
> And that's pretty much it, to be honest. Sorry to waste your time with
> this report, as it was a very subdued kinda meet; very chilled and that,
> but not much to read about. Anyone else who was there, please add to
> this, but that's as far as I can go.
>
it was a VERY pleasant weekend...for which many thanks to mine host (and
afpiancee)...and everyone else (including other afpiancee)...and a
special mention for Sandriana's local knowledge
did I mention that there was a lot of laughter?...it was also a very
amusing weekend, in a gentle witty and indescribable way
sadly the coke bottle never flew
[1] they called it a family carriage
[2] Cornwall, as it has has been known since the English invaded
[3] Plymouth has a LOT of boats
--
eric -afpianced to pia and Thom, afpdopted uncle to
Mary Messall, afplirting with April
"the alternative to seeing things in black and white
is to see them in full colour"
Quantum Moth
(er...@last.dircon.co.uk) said.
>
> sadly the coke bottle never flew
>
It was never meant to fly. We worked it out; it was perfectly placed to
be viewed from the Hoe, where there were tens of thousands of charged-up
teenagers watching Kylie banter with Simon Mayo (or whoever it was) and
in need of a drink....
> [3] Plymouth has a LOT of boats
>
We may need to evacuate in a hurry...
--
thom willis - sc...@mostly.com - madly in love with Corinne!
Protecting the world from devastation since... uh, February.
"Being a good fiend is like being a good photographer -
you have to be able to pick your moment." - Vegeta, DBZ
pia
sc...@mostly.com wrote:
> Special guest Pia - along with her chauffeur, some bloke called Mike
> Queue or something - arrived not long after we got back to the house,
> and, to be honest, was something of a shock. I have become accustomed
> to not construct mental pictures of afpers, so as to avoid shocks,
> but, well, Pia... you I did not expect :)
*g* I'm very sorry to have shocked you, Thom dear. Was it my looks - I
should have warned that I may not look obviously female from distance -
or manner? I was easily the taciturnest person present and *Ben* was
there. That perhaps tells something...
As a revenge I wrote a report of my own.
*****
Even I Had Holidays And Next Time I Even May Do Something On 'em, or,
The Only True PlyMoth Meet Report For The Period Saturday Evening –
Sunday Afternoon
It was a beautiful day in mid August and I was flying to England in
order to attend an afpmeet. This is a blatant lie. It was raining, and
my holiday was not supposed to consist on afping only. Plymouth meet
just very conveniently coinceded it. On the plane my thoughts circled
around
- What the hell am I doing
- Why am I doing this
- It appeares to be too late to turn back
So I leaned back on the seat and had a nice long panic attack.
Fast forward several hours. My panic reservoirs were temporarily
exhausted, and now I was to meet Miq. I was sure to be able to
recognise him, and I had described myself as looking like young Granny
Weatherwax. He said I look like Sonic the Hedgehog. This may not have
been a compliment.
Fast forward to Friday. I mention Friday only because 1) I bought
Pratchett Portfolio and what a bleeding disappointment it is! It's
thin. Duh. 2) In a place called Bulldog [1] there is a small pub called
Broken Drum. On the walls there are mappes of DW and AM as well as
several other DW illustrations. You people should definitely have an
afpmeet there.
[1] hahaha. Well that's how I apparently pronounced it. It's Baldock.
Fast forward to Saturday. Most of the day – indeed a significant part
of my whole stay – was spent in a car driven by a very stressed Miq, an
experience I don't need to re-live anytime soon. I did the navigating,
and foolishly tried to apply some logic in pronouncing English place
names making the journey all the more interesting. An excerpt from the
conversation:
- What's the next junction?
- Salisbury
- What?
- Salisbury
- You mean Salisbury
- Yes, that's what I said, Salisbury
- No, it's Salisbury! You said Salisbury!
- Let me tell you where you can stuck Salisbury!!
This went on for *minutes*.
Much, much later we finally arrived in Plymouth and parked the car
roughly at Bishop's place where Moth lives. A good, solid panic was
building up in me again. What for, you may ask. Couple of afpers most
of whom are my afpwossnames. Just how bad can it be? Well... I am shy;
you are socially challenged; they are rude. Deep down, we all believe
this, don't we.
Anyway. After a couple of minutes – okey, make it five - I managed to
get hang of the paging thing. In no time at all the familiar menuetto
sound was echoing from my mobile phone - that was of course Moth
calling, and the blokes appeared at the roof top waving frantically,
Mothsy opened the door, and next thing I know I'm hugging an afpiancee
and then another one. Ooh la laa. The other attenders loafed on the
couches mostly playing video games. I recognised everybody except
Sandra from meetpictures, and told them so, in a calculated effort to
impress. It probably just managed to spook the hell out of them.
We played Star Wars monopoly (how sad is that?) which Corinne won hands
down. I was Darth Vader. Eric was Leia. Moth and Corinne were in the
dangerous level of *vom* (eric's phrasing), and mostly quite out of any
meaningful social interaction. Then we got hungry. There was the pizza
on-line option but it didn't work. Corinne actually had to call the
company. I don't call that customer friendly. But we have a dream, and
the dream is, that one day a geek can live his entire life without
actually talking to a live human being.
Eventually afpers went to sleep. Most people shared the floor or couch
surface in the Big Room With Television. Next morning, I had
Wassisplace's and Whossat's and Is That Really A Half-naked Male I See
In Front Of Me 's. These questions got their answers when the painful
waking up process got started with a cup of coffee. Blokes tried to
produce the genuine maniacal laughter, with some very impressive
results. Moth harrassed us with a video camera which unfortunately was
in full working order despite of having been dropped on the floor,
knocked over, smashed against the fall etc. repeatedly. Around noon
Moth started initialising Rachel. An hour later she was still
downloading, and we went off to Cornwall without her. Corinne stayed
back too.
At Mount Edgecumbe we had cream tea, and I offered my other scone to
Moth, 'cuz he is so thin and undernourished, but he declined. Poor
thing was quite out of it without Corinne. I don't call that *vom* any
more, I call it symbiosis. Artificial geysir, extremely climbable
trees. Ones you even can climb down from. A beach with an overfriendly
wet dog and a floating phallos symbol on the skyline. Shiny pebbles.
We returned to Moth's place at five-ish and Rachel appeared to be
downloaded ready but with an out-of-coffee error. And suddenly it was
time to leave. Goo-byes were said, and a group hug had.
What else can I say? First time. First it's "Ouch" and then "Is it over
already?"
I'll get my coat then, shall I?
*****
pia
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
sandriana
wrote:
><MPG.140bf518f...@news.dircon.co.uk> - Eric Jarvis
>(er...@last.dircon.co.uk) said.
>
>>
>> sadly the coke bottle never flew
>>
>It was never meant to fly. We worked it out; it was perfectly placed to
>be viewed from the Hoe, where there were tens of thousands of charged-up
>teenagers watching Kylie banter with Simon Mayo (or whoever it was) and
>in need of a drink....
>
>> [3] Plymouth has a LOT of boats
>>
>We may need to evacuate in a hurry...
>
>--
>thom willis - sc...@mostly.com - madly in love with Corinne!
>Protecting the world from devastation since... uh, February.
>"Being a good fiend is like being a good photographer -
>you have to be able to pick your moment." - Vegeta, DBZ
Yes it was low key and chilled, but imho those present are some of the
nicest people I've ever met. Apart from Corinne: she's a filthy
capitalist and wiill rule the world eventually. And what about
Kincaid's peach wine then?
Sandriana
<wolverine: phwoarrr!>
Kincaid
Schnapps, please. I was the only one drinking it as well. I may not offer
it around future...
TTFN, Kincaid